Mike Stevens is Kootenai Electric Cooperative’s Operations Services Superintendent and has worked for KEC for 14 years.
I started my career at Interstate Concrete & Asphalt where I trained to be a mechanic. I worked nights on their fleet while the trucks weren’t on the road. After starting a family in 2008, I began looking for a day job, and the opportunity to work for KEC as a fleet mechanic opened. Then in 2018, I was promoted to Operations Services Superintendent.
In my current role, I manage the warehouse, fleet, purchasing, and facilities. I usually start my day by checking in with the mechanics to see how our fleet of more than 115 vehicles is performing. This includes receiving updates on which vehicles are out of service or currently undergoing maintenance.
Next, I check in with our 3 warehousemen, who are responsible for the staging of materials for line construction jobs, inventory controls, and salvaging/recycling materials.
The majority of my day is spent working closely with our purchasing agent to procure all of the materials and equipment we need. In addition, I’ve taken the lead on coordinating with the contractor building our Rathdrum headquarters on various portions of that project including utility placement, warehouse planning, change orders, generators, and more.
Tell us about procuring materials and equipment for the cooperative.
The pandemic, disruptions in the supply chain, rising costs due to soaring inflation, and labor shortages have increased the cost of living and doing business. The cost of the electrical equipment the cooperative purchases to provide our members power has more than doubled and these materials have also been in scarce supply.
You probably are aware of how much vehicle prices have skyrocketed in recent years, and this is affecting KEC in a big way. For example, we cannot order the 1-ton trucks needed for our fleet, and bucket trucks are also in short supply. It’s important to note that we keep and maintain our fleet vehicles for many years after purchasing them—they are 1 of the faces of KEC on the road.
Vehicle purchasing isn’t the only concern. Single-phase transformers ordered today will be delivered in 4 years and they have quadrupled in price. Insulated rubber goods, such as splices, elbows, and other materials can take up to a year to deliver after ordering. These are significant challenges for a growing utility such as ours.
However, these are not challenges KEC is facing alone—utilities across North America are also affected. Our team at KEC is thinking outside the box for our purchasing strategy and considering new and innovative approaches.
Absolutely material shortages. Our mission is to provide exceptional service to our members and I want to ensure we have the materials needed to do just that.
KEC is a great place to work—they take care of my family. I also really enjoy helping with our new headquarters. It’s exciting to see where we are now after all the planning we have done. I’m looking forward to working there for the next 17 years.